Vision Of A Lifetime
by BookMe
Summary: An AxJ Vintage story! See how Alice and Jasper cope with one another and deal with accidents, a dinner, a betrothal, social class differnces, Jasper's fist fight and then some. Mainly fluff and one lemon that rolled off a nearby lemon tree.
1. First Encounter

_**Stephenie Meyer owns two of these gorgeous creatures, not me.**_

**This is something a little different from my other two stories, but I already love it. It's mainly Alice and Jasper, because I think that Mr Whitlock is one sexy character (More so than Edward at times!) Don't shoot me!! **

**Anyhow, its set in the olden times, don't ask me when, I don't know, my imagination wouldn't tell me that much but I'm guessing around 1800/1850-ish?**

**Hope you like ****:D**

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Alice POV.

_A large collection of well dressed people on either side of the isle, more so on the bride's side, but that's not relevant. Arrangements of flowers at the end of every other row of seats, people crying as the bride and groom recite their vows, little children at the front dressed in expensive clothes to match the bride's long white dress. The mother and farther of the bride, holding hands as they watch their daughter marry the man she loves with her whole heart. The bride, staring up at her unearthly, beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed angel as they both lean in for their ceremonial kiss…._

Giggles and the sound of a door bursting open jolt me from my recurring dream that has been ever present in my mind for as long as I could remember.

"Alice! Come quickly! They're here!" my five year old little sister Cecilia called excitedly from beside me as she peered out of the window eagerly. We didn't get many visitors at our house, no matter how well known my parents were. Mr and Mrs Brandon were very well known with the more superior social classes as kind, funny and down to earth people.

"Get away from the window, go and play with Ben" I ordered her as I shooed her from my bedroom. I, myself then peered out of the window once I was alone, only to see our driveway bare, devoid of any sign of life.

After getting dressed, I went down stairs for breakfast and then went to find my mother in a vain hope of winning myself a shopping trip into town later in the afternoon.

I stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, wondering which way to go. I decided for the door to my left. "No…I think that I'd rather make this a soft rose colour…I could call it the Rose room, couldn't I?" My mother spoke to the head house keeper, Lilly as they went through some wallpaper samples.

"Mother…may we go shopping today?" I asked in a sweet voice as I walked towards her and Lilly.

"Alice…" my mother began with arched eyebrows and her hands on her small hips. "You went shopping with Lilly two days ago, what could you possibly need?" she asked in a soft, authoritive voice.

"I…nothing mother." I answered with a smile. She could always look through me; she knew I had no real reason to go shopping.

"Why don't you go and see to Casper?" she asked as she turned back to the samples in Lily's hands.

I took her suggestion and walked outside, through the French doors, to the veranda, and then out towards the stables on the right side of the house. That's when I remembered that builders were starting today, that's who Cecilia saw arriving this morning from my bedroom window.

As I walked, I looked up to the house and wondered why we needed an extension. The house was big enough as it was with its three floors, but mother demanded that the house be made symmetrical, so a few feet were to be added to the left side of the house.

I passed a big oak tree, and made my way into the stables. "Good morning miss." The stable master, James greeted me as I made my way towards the furthest stall. I waved back at him as I walked on.

"Well, well Casper…eager to see me?" I asked as I leant against the door. Casper already had his head out, waiting for me eagerly. I pulled out a lump of sugar from the pocket in my skirt and held it out to him, flat on my palm. I giggled as he gobbled up the sugar and then swept away any remnants of sugar that were left.

I laughed as Casper began to nudge at my hand, a silent demand for more sugar. I let out a long sigh in defeat and then placed another lump of sugar on my hand for him to lap up. He seemed satisfied with the attention, so I picked up a brush from beside his door and stepped in to brush him.

"How is the rascal today miss?" James asked me as he leant against the door, chewing some grass.

"Much better now, after two lumps of sugar." I told him I continued to brush my horse.

"What you want a great big stallion like that for I don't know miss." He shook his head as he took in the height difference from my head and Casper's.

"He's harmless James, softer than a lamb" I whispered the last bit.

"Why do you whisper?" James asked with a confused look on his face.

"I don't want to offend Casper" I told him in sincerity. "I don't think he'd take to well with being called a lamb." Once again, I whispered the last word.

I shrugged my shoulders as James walked away laughing at my expense, uttering the odd, "Offend a horse!"

"Look after my Casper for me!" I told James as I made my way out of the stables an hour later, into the heat of the summer sun. I made my way into the house, via the kitchen so I could wash my hands, before I went to the library and picked up a book.

Once I'd selected a book, I went back outside to the oak tree which was situated between the house and the stables. I sat there for a while, reading in the shade of the tree until I felt something wet on my cheek. I sat up with a start as I realised that Max, Ben's new golden retriever puppy was licking at my face. I realised that I must have fallen asleep at some point. I looked to my book and noticed that it was open on page 1. I must have fallen asleep almost instantly.

"Come on Max" I laughed as I got up to my feet, brushing off my skirt. I picked up Max, and tucked him under my arm as I bent back down to fetch my book. Once I had both securely in my arms, I made my way towards the house.

As I reached the back door to the kitchen I just caught a glimpse of a young man in brown trousers with braces, a brown hat and a white shirt go around the corner in some what of a hurry.

I wondered how busy they were working on the house. As I stepped inside the kitchen, I let Max down, knowing that he'd most likely run out, to find my sibling, either Ben or Cecilia.

I washed my hands once again and caught sight of a large jug of iced, fresh lemonade and four mugs. "Are those for the workmen?" I asked Cook as I surveyed the tray.

"Yes, but I haven't the time to take them out yet, Bessie's ill, so I'm on my own today" she explained. I picked up the tray and told her that I'd gladly be of help and take them out. "Ohhh, I didn't mean for you to do it miss!" Cook called after me as I made my way out of the door.

I walked along the back of the house, to the left side of the house where I found four men, working away with bricks and odd tools. I set down the tray on a small wall beside them and began to pour the cold lemonade into the mugs. "Would you like some lemonade sir?" I asked the closest man to me who seemed to be around forty years of age.

"That would be much appreciated miss." He replied as he took of his cap as good manners deemed correct.

I handed him a mug and passed another two to the other men which were around the same age as the first man. The fourth man stood some distance away, looking at a large piece of paper, with his back to me.

I was spared calling him. One of the other men called out, "Whitlock, come on man, don't keep the lady waiting!" He shook his head at me as he asked me to refill his mug. I nodded and poured more for him and the other men.

As I set down the jug, I realised that the last man was making his way over, "I'm afraid that the other gentlemen are already on their second mug, you'll have to drink fast to catch up with them!" I joked as I picked up the mug to hold out to him.

I lifted my gaze and froze as I watched a blonde haired, blue eyed angel take hold of the mug in my hands with one hand and fidget with his hat in the other. "Thank you miss" he replied as he stood in front of me, with the sun shining against his pale skin as he tipped his head back and gulped down his drink. I shamefully stared at him with my mouth agape. He was gorgeous, tall, and as far as I could tell from the way his shirt clung to him tightly, he was also strong.

Once he finished, he held out his mug to me and asked, "May I have another?"

Somehow I managed a smile and refilled his mug with shaking hands. He must have noticed the tremor in my hands because he quickly leant down to me and whispered quickly, "Are you alright miss? Are you going to swoon?"

I gave my head a quick shake, "I'm fine, I don't know what came over me." I laughed weakly as I watched him take a sip of lemonade.

"You've lost some colour from your cheeks miss…" he commented as his eyes scrutinised my face. I wasn't surprised; this would have come as a shock to any person.

"I'm fine honestly." I lied as my stomach continued to fill steadily with butterflies.

"Maybe you should go for a lie down? Or get something to eat." He suggested as he lowered his empty mug to the tray.

"Yes, maybe you're right…" I admitted as I stared back into his familiar blue eyes.

"Good afternoon Mr Whitlock" I said as I walked back towards the house.

"Good afternoon Miss Brandon" I just heard his reply as I reached the kitchen door. I wondered how he knew my name, but decide that that wasn't my biggest priority of thought at the moment.

"Ohhh Miss Alice!" Cook called out in concern as I closed the door behind me. "Are you alright dear? You look frightfully pale!" she exclaimed as she grabbed hold of my arm.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I muttered. "I'm going to lie down in the drawing room; it must have been the heat of the sun." I lied once again as I brushed off her arm and headed towards the drawing room which was situated at the opposite side of the great hall from the room that my mother was in earlier in the morning.

I closed the door tightly behind me and then made my way to the longest sofa to lie down as I processed in my mind who I had just seen. He was the man from my reoccurring dreams, the one that I continuously married.

Jasper POV.

My mouth gaped open as I realised that we would be working at the Brandon estate. This family was well known and very important along with influential. I knew that if we did a good job on their house, they would surely spread the word that we were god workmen and we could get more work and make some good money.

We walked around the side of the house as Peter, our boss, led the horse and cart to stop a little distance away, around the corner. The other two men and I proceeded to take our tools from the back of the cart and set them on the ground, ready for us to start our work.

"Ahh.. good, you found it!" A cheerful thin, middle aged man greeted us as we finished taking our tools off the cart. He wore a dark pinstripe suite and shiny black shoes. He definitely looked influential and superior, but he contradicted himself by talking to us in such a laid back, down to earth way.

After giving us some simple orders and a sheet of paper with the details of what he wanted done, he left and headed back into the grand house.

I took charge of the plans, working out the details of how far the wall needed to be brought out to and how thick the wall needed to be while the other men started to sort out the bricks.

A movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention a short while later. I looked in the direction of the movement to see a young, short girl with striking black hair walking in the other direction, towards the stables. I stared until the girl was out of sight, then shook my head and got back to work.

Some time later, I walked to the back of the house to survey the look of the whole place, but my eyes instinctively pulled me to look towards the stables. That's where I found her, once again. From my closer viewpoint, I supposed from her lack of movement that she was asleep beneath the large oak tree. Even from where I stood, I could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

I abruptly moved my gaze from her as I realised that I had been looking at her indecently. I wrote down a few details in regards to the house, until I noticed a little golden retriever puppy waddling over the grass, towards the enigma beneath the trees.

The puppy made its way up to her and walked around her still form a few times, before it decided to lick her face. I realised then that I hadn't yet seen her face, but I was already intrigued by her. I contained my laughter as the girl awoke. Her laughter was clear from where I stood as she brushed off her dress.

I retreated back towards the side of the door slowly as I continued to watch her as she picked up the cheerful puppy and book. When she straightened up, I finally got the first glance of her face. The first thought that ran through my mind was, that I was ruined. She had just ruined me for other women. If I couldn't have her, I wouldn't degrade her by having anyone else that wouldn't even scratch the surface of her beauty and perfection.

She was walking back to the house, I realised. I decided to keep out of her way for now; maybe I wouldn't see her again anyway? She was obviously Mr Brandon's eldest daughter, the famously beautiful Alice. No servant would be allowed to take a break from work and lie beneath a tree with a book. Hardly any servants would even know how to read. She was definitely Alice.

I picked up my pace and swiftly went around the corner, getting back to work in an attempt of expelling her from my mind.

Only a few short minutes later, a commotion behind me signalled that we were to have a break. A melodic voice spoke to the other men as I pretended to study the house's plans. I was really thinking of ways that I would be able to make a grand fortune in order for Alice to marry me. There would be no other way. She would never be allowed to marry a poor workman.

"Whitlock, come on man, don't keep the lady waiting!" Peter's voice pulled me from my reprieve. I folded up the unseen plans and made my way over to the lady that he'd mentioned.

As I neared, my eyes caught the sight of a head of jet black hair. I lifted my gaze to see the angel that would ruin me, standing in front of me, saying something as she held out my lemonade. I didn't hear a word she said as she lifted her gaze, I simply got lost in her smoky, gray eyes. Somehow I managed some sort of thanks.

I tipped my head back and drained my glass as my head span with all thoughts of her, Miss Alice Brandon.

Once I finished, I dared to look back to her. I almost cursed aloud as I looked at her perfection once more. The dark hair, pale skin, captivating eyes and plump lips. I said the first thing that came into my mind as the thoughts ran through my mind. "May I have another?"

She smiled at me. My heart stuttered as she brightened. I dropped my gaze from her eyes and realised that her hands were trembling. I leant down and asked her is she was alright and if she thought that she was going to swoon. I silently prayed that she wouldn't. I would obviously do the gentlemanly thing of carrying her into the house; I just had no idea whether I would be able to let her go.

I thanked the lord as she shook her head, declaring that she was fine. I sipped some of my lemonade to hide the relief of her words. I kept watching her and realised that she'd lost the colour in her cheeks and even lips. I wondered what was wrong with her. I told her, "You've lost some colour from your cheeks miss…"

She declared that she was fine, but after I mentioned that she should get something to eat or take a lie down, she agreed. I couldn't help but feel moved as she seemed to stare back into my eyes.

"Good afternoon Mr Whitlock" She said to me as she walked towards the door to the house. I smiled at how I liked the sound of her saying my name.

"Good afternoon Miss Brandon" I replied shortly after as she reached the door to the house and regrettably disappeared from my sight.

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What do you think? I'm carrying on with it regardless of if you like it or not-it's been trying to burst out of my mind for days. I was going to write it after I finished All Aboard, but I give up. The Story wins, I loose!!**

**Just so you know-****AGE--****A****lice(18), ****B****en(8), ****C****ecilia(5) A/B/C!! **

**Jasper-(21)**


	2. Casper

_**Stephenie Meyer still only owns two of the characters in this story.**_

Jasper POV.

The angel had been torturing me all week. She almost always brought out our lemonade and even lunch if she managed to beat Sophie, the young maid whose job it was. Sometimes I preferred that the young maid bring out our food and drink because she was on my social level and clear in her intentions as she flirted openly with me.

The other men continuously teased me once Sophie had left. She was painfully obvious in her advances, but I made sure that she fully understood that I held no interest in her. "Go on Whitlock! She's a beauty!" Peter encouraged me one afternoon with a pat on the back. It took all of my self control to not turn around and ask him if he was blind.

Sophie was tall, curvy, she had long blonde hair and she was pretty enough to be deemed beautiful, by anyone who hadn't met Miss Alice Brandon. Everyone else stood in the shadow of Alice's beauty. She was refreshingly different and thankfully, almost the complete opposite to Sophie.

My work suffered for the first day or two after I met her. I would make stupid blunders as she would walk into my line of vision, cutting all coherent thought from my mind. After some discipline, I managed to drive myself more into my work and push my thoughts of her back. Until the fourth day.

Alice POV.

"Good man James! That's what I like to see!" I praised the stable man as I made my way to Casper who was all ready saddled up, waiting eagerly for me.

I pulled out a sugar lump from my pocket as a distraction while I stood on a box to mount the horse. Once I was comfortably seated I called a quick thank you to James as he handed me the rains, and then rode out.

We rode from the stables, and headed towards the forest behind the house. After a fast, exhilarating run, we stopped at the small stream which ran in the forest, not far from the edge of our fields. I jumped down from Casper as he drank and walked around the waters edge, throwing the odd stone into the river.

I picked up a particularly sharp stone and was about to throw it, when I had a better idea. I began to carve the abbreviations of my name into a nearby tree and then Mr Whitlock's. I frowned at the lonely 'W' that was etched beneath my name. That's when I decided that I would find out his name, he surely knew mine. I drew a tidy heart around the letters and then turned back to Casper.

"Come on baby…" I crooned as I took hold of his reins. I popped up onto a fallen tree and then mounted him. I could feel that he was eager to run at high speed through the fields, so I decided to take him back to the stables the long way.

I pulled on his reins and urged him to go left, meaning that we would be able to make a large turn in one of the fields and then pass the back of the house to the stables. I pushed him faster as we made our way from the forests edge.

Once we we'd gone far enough, I slowed him down a little in order for us to make a sweeping turn so we could head back to the stables. One we were back on track, Casper began to run at his own pace in wild abandon. I laughed at the feeling of freedom as the wind whipped past me, pulling strands of my hair out of its previous neatness. I could feel his muscles contracting as he ran, using all his power and I could also hear the rapping sound of his hooves hitting the ground behind the whooshing of the wind.

I felt an odd feeling of stiffness in Casper as he began to suddenly slow down and make some jerky movements. Once he'd stopped, I tried my best to calm him down, but something had obviously spooked him. "Shhhh…" I crooned as I fought to stroke his neck to calm him down, yet hold onto the reins. Panic rose within me as he began to get more violent.

He bucked beneath me, and I was inevitably thrown from him. I felt the reins being torn from my hands as my body rose from the saddle and began to descend to the ground. I closed my eyes as I fell with a painful thud. After a few silent seconds, I opened my eyes, but then abruptly closed them as the world seemed to spin around me.

I took a few deep breaths and tried again after a few minutes. I opened my eyes and tried my best to ignore the continuous spinning around me. I crawled slowly to my knees, and then began to gradually stand up as the world continued to spin beneath my feet. I let out a small gasp as I felt my feet lift from the ground as someone picked me up with ease and held me close to them.

"My angel…" I whispered with tears escaping from the corners of my eyes as I stared up to my blond hair, blue eyed angel whose head was encircled in a halo of light. That's when I realised that I must have broken my neck after I'd fallen from Casper. He, my angel, had come to pick me up and take me up to heaven where we could spend an eternity together, I would miss my family, but he was my heart.

Jasper POV.

I dropped my tools from my hands as I watched in horror as my angel was thrown around like a doll on her stallion. I ran as fast as I could to her. As I reached the end of the first field out of the two that separated us, the horse bucked violently, and she fell. In my subconscious I could hear people shouting behind me, but I had only one thing at the forefront of my mind. Getting to Alice. I sighed in relief, but kept up my pace as I made it to the field that she was in and watched her sit up and attempt to stand.

She didn't even notice me as I made it to her and scooped her into my arms. I held her tightly to me as relief coursed through my veins at the fact that she was alright. "My angel…" the sound of her voice caused me to look back at her face. I noticed that she was smiling up at me, yet had tears streaming from her eyes. The tears in her eyes glistened from the sun that shone from behind me, making her usually smoky gray eyes look more enchanting.

"You are the angel…" I whispered back to her as I began my way back to the house. The rest of the workmen had only reached the end of the first field and all had pained, worried looks on their faces. I knew how much Miss Brandon meant to everyone that she met. Each of the men that I worked with had taken a liking to her due to her kind nature and the way she always seemed to make an effort to converse with them.

"But…we never…married" she mumbled with a sorrowful look on her face as we reached the onlookers. I sent a quick order for someone to run to the house to let them know that I was bringing in Miss Brandon and that the doctor should be called for. "I've been waiting for you for so long…" she whispered one again as we neared the house.

I tried my best to forget everything she told me, she had probably knocked her head and was babbling some nonsense about someone else. The words that halted me once I entered through the back door of the house, into the kitchen were, "You love me…" she stated it quietly, with conviction as she rested her cheek against my chest.

"Ohhh dear it's true!" A curvy flustered looking cook called from the other side of the kitchen as she took in the sight of the frail beauty in my arms. I began to panic, thinking that the cook had somehow heard Alice and knew that I loved her. Thankfully I was wrong, she continued talking. "Follow me, I'll take you to Lilly!" she bustled about and opened a door to a dark hallway.

I looked down to Alice's face once more and caught the look of determination and certainty in her eyes. "You love me…" she said once again, but in a stronger, more stubborn voice while held my gaze.

I decided to placate her to stop her from announcing my biggest secret to the whole house. Revealing it to her alone would cause me trouble enough. I hoped that she wouldn't remember this as I whispered back to her in a serious tone, "Yes, I love you."

"Good…then we can get married." She whispered with a smile as she rested her head back against my chest. The breath left me at her words. She looked so certain and spoke with conviction. I began to believe that it could be possible, until I remembered that she had probably hit her head.

"Come along!" An important looking maid called to me from down the hallway I guessed that it was Lilly. I followed the voice and the sound of footsteps as I was lead up to the second floor, to a spacious room which looked out upon the front lawn.

"Lay her down there please…" the woman ordered briskly as she pointed to the bed in the centre of the room.

I obeyed her orders and slowly let Alice down on the bed. It pained me to think of having to let her go; I already told myself that if I ever held her in my arms, I wouldn't let her go. And now I contradicted myself. I pulled my arms away from around her but as I went to stand up, I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see her holding tightly to it with white knuckles while her face clearly showed confusion.

"Let go miss…" I said softly as I wrapped my hands around hers with the intent of prying them off, but once my hands touched hers, they wouldn't obey, they simply held on tighter.

"No…don't leave me…" Her quavered as she spoke and voice rang with pleading along with her eyes. It broke my heart to see her begging me not to leave her, when I knew that I could never be with her in the first place to condone her by leaving her.

"I suppose she hit her head?" the maid asked from behind me with a pitying tone as she stoked the fire in the grate.

"Yes, she mumbled all the way back to the house…" I answered mechanically as I glanced quickly at the maid and noticed that she was working intently on the fire now. I took this opportunity to lean down to Alice's ear and whisper quickly, "I love you, I won't leave you…" I brushed a small, stray strand of hair from her face before I lightly pressed my lips to her cheek.

As I straightened back up, she thankfully did what I hoped she would do, she let go of my shirt and gave me a small smile.

I sat down on a wooden chair in the corner of the room as the maid muttered mostly to herself about how dangerous that horse of hers was and more, which I didn't catch. I was busy rattling my mind about how I could convincingly lie to her once she was better, if she even remembered what I'd told her. She was out of my league, she was an accomplished daughter of a wealthy family, and I was a poor workman.

"Alice! Ohh sweetheart!" Mrs Brandon practically ran into the room, to her daughter's side while Mr Brandon stood beside the fire, watching the scene. "The doctor will be here soon…" Mrs Brandon crooned as she sat at Alice's side, holding her hands.

"I believe a thank you is in order." Mr Brandon said simply as he walked up to me. He held out his hand, which I shook after I stood up from my chair. "Thank you for getting my daughter back to the house so swiftly." He continued as he released my hand from his firm grip, and watched his wife and daughter interact.

"It was nothing…" I responded, feeling awkward with the praise for having done something that my heart instinctively told me to do.

"Nothing? On the contrary…" Mr Brandon began as he stroked his chin. "We need a greater form of thanks don't we dear?" His voice rose as he spoke to Mrs Brandon.

"How about dinner? Wednesday night?" she suggested Mr Brandon with arched eyebrows of questioning.

He gave his wife a small nod before he turned back to me. "Perfect, you, and the rest of the men will stay for dinner on Wednesday night." He paused to hold out his hand. "No arguments." He added with a victorious smile as I clamped my mouth shut.

"Yes sir." I grinned back at him, hiding my nervousness of the up-coming dinner in four days time.

The local doctor entered the room a few minutes later. I was ordered to stay in order to answer any questions he may throw at me as he inspected Miss Alice. Once he was done, the doctor demanded, "She must have one day of bed rest, from then on, I advise her not to tire herself…but…" he paused to look at Alice and then back to her parents with a smile as he continued in an exasperated tone, "Knowing Miss Alice, she wont care much for rest…"

I left behind Mr and Mrs Brandon and the doctor and returned to my work. I felt that some weight had been lifted from my shoulders at hearing that Alice would be fine after some rest.

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That's the second once done and dusted. Sorry if I'm getting some things wrong…but everything that I know about this era-I learnt from books…I love my books!!**

**Review for me please…and then I'll post the next chapter where Mr Whitlock stays for dinner… :O)**


	3. The Dinner

_**Stephenie Meyer owns all.**_

Jasper POV.

At every opportunity that I could, I would listen in on other people's conversations, desperate to hear any news on how Alice was recovering. I only allowed myself to ask the maid, Sophie once; knowing that if I asked any more, people may become suspicious.

It was Monday by now, which meant that I had two days until the dinner. I kept myself sane, knowing that I'd be sat on one end of the table, and Alice at the other. It wouldn't be right to sit the two different classes together so closely.

I almost cursed aloud as I stepped around the side of the house, with the intention of surveying the house from a distance in order to make sure that the work so far would end up being parallel to the rest of the house. There sat Alice, beneath the big oak tree, with the little puppy sunbathing not far from her. She wore a long white dress, which created a stark contrast with her dark hair, accentuating her unearthly beauty.

She noticed me before I got the chance to disappear around the corner. My feet followed her orders and carried me to her as she beckoned me over. "Miss Brandon" I touched my cap as she looked up to me, smiling.

"Mr Whitlock, I wanted to thank you" she began, smoothing down her skirt.

"There's no need miss." I interjected, eager to get away before I spilled forth the many questions that I had in my mind concerning what she kept on muttering the whole way back to the house as I carried her after her fall.

"Yes there is, I might as well call you my guardian angel from now on…" she said sincerely with a small smile as she played with a piece of grass in her hands. "I suppose I was lucky that it was such a small fall…do you know that I thought that I'd died?" she added with a frown as if she longed to be in heaven.

"A small fall!? Are you out of your mind! You could have been killed!" I began in a rough voice which I managed to keep at a whispered level. I crouched down beside her as I continued, "Did you ever consider what that would do to your family, and the people who love you?" I asked. Belatedly, as she smiled at me, I realised that what I said could be interpreted to a confession that I loved her.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my temper and prevent myself from admitting to her how scared I was for her life that day. I placed my left hand over my eyes to stop my eyes from staring into hers. I feared that if our eyes locked, she would be able to read every secret that I held within me.

I froze solid as I felt a small, warm hand hold onto my other hand. I slowly dropped my hand from my eyes and stared at my right hand which was being graced by her touch. "I'm sorry that I scared you…" she whispered with a squeeze to my hand. The small frown of worry on her brow broke my heart. An angel should never be made to look sad and I'd done that to her with my outburst.

I gave my head a shake before I stood up quickly, severing our hands connection. "I'm glad that you're feeling better." I mumbled quickly with another touch of my cap.

I didn't wait for her response; I walked away, damning myself for getting so worked up. "I meant every word that I told you that day my angel…" her voice rang like a chorus of angels behind me. I halted in my tracks as she spoke. I realised that she must remember the whole thing. She called me her angel the moment I picked her up after her accident. That couldn't be a coincidence, if she remembered that much, then maybe she remembered me telling her that I loved her in her bedroom as I tried to pry her hands from me. I got back to work, in a snappy mood.

Alice POV.

I'd been sat beneath the oak tree no more than five minutes, when he stepped around the corner. I sighed as I watched him. Even as he casually walked, he caught my attention in a vice grip. I may be biased, but to me at least, he was a God among men. He was beautiful.

I beckoned him over as soon as he noticed me. I may be greedy, but I couldn't deny myself any opportunity to be in his company or vicinity. I seemed to calm down considerably whenever I was around him, compared to the nervous anxiousness that I felt whenever I was away from him or when someone mentioned his name.

Thankfully he came over. I smiled at him as he stopped beside me and gave his cap a tug. I loved everything about him, even his good manners.

"Mr Whitlock, I wanted to thank you" I began, utterly nervous as I smoothed down my skirt as I distraction.

"There's no need miss." He responded politely with a touch of a frown playing on his brows.

"Yes there is, I might as well call you my guardian angel from now on…" I told him sincerely, knowing that that would probably be as much as he would be to me, even though I prayed for us to be married. I toyed with a blade of grass as I continued, "I suppose I was lucky that it was such a small fall…do you know that I thought that I'd died?" I added the last part, remembering how happy I felt inside, thinking that I'd died and that I was somehow in heaven with my angel.

"A small fall!? Are you out of your mind! You could have been killed!" he asked me in a more forceful voice which sounded almost dangerous to my ears as he kept its level to that of a whisper. I longed to pull him into my arms as he crouched down beside me. "Did you ever consider what that would do to your family, and the people who love you?" he continued. I hid my shock, but showed my satisfaction to his words with a smile. I knew that he was trying to deny himself the truth, or was scared that I didn't feel the same, but I remembered the declaration of love that I'd managed to coax from him after we'd reached my bedroom.

He took a deep breath before me. I wondered why he seemed so agitated, but I remained silent as he covered his beautiful eyes with his left hand. I decided, if I couldn't hug him, then I could at least hold his hand. I took the risk and slipped my hand into his large, warm hand. I kept my eyes locked on our twined hands, marvelling at how perfect it felt and looked to me.

"I'm sorry that I scared you…" I whispered with a squeeze to his hand, knowing that he would have to leave soon.

I held back my disappointment as he stood up abruptly, tearing his hand from mine. "I'm glad that you're feeling better." He said quickly before he walked away.

I realised that I had to make him see how much I loved him and how much I meant every one of my jumbled words after the accident. I knew that what I told him may have been taken as confused rambling, but I remembered clearly what I'd told him and what he'd told me.

"I meant every word that I told you that day my angel…" I called after him, hoping that he'd pick up on the fact that I'd called him 'my angel' purposefully and would understand the meaning behind it.

From the way that he halted in his tracks, I fancied that he'd picked up on my little hint. He didn't say anything, but I smiled as I watched him march away, back around the corner of the house.

"Come here Max!" I called the little sunbathing golden retriever once Mr Whitlock had vanished. The puppy obeyed and bounded over to me, jumping into my lap. "I'll hear him tell me that he loves me soon enough wont I?" I asked Max, who yelped happily in response while his tail wagged. "I wish I had your confidence." I mumbled as I thought about the dinner on Wednesday night.

* * *

"Alice dear…would you like to oversee the seating arrangement for tonight?" my mother asked as she popped her head into the drawing room door with a bunch of flowers in her hand for the flower arrangement.

I couldn't believe my luck, I told her yes quickly before I ran excitedly to the large wooden desk in the corner. I pulled out a sheaf of paper, and dipped my quill in the ink before I began.

Once I finished the seating arrangement, I made small name cards and set them down on the dining table in the next room, following my table plan. I stood back and smiled at my handiwork before I went to the kitchen to see if I could carry anything out to the workmen before Sophie got the chance.

That night, I stood beside my mother, inside the drawing room as my father led in the workmen. Ben and Cecilia were off in the corner playing with Max who was at the age where he liked to bite. 

My mother and I greeted each of the workmen in turn. Once Mr Whitlock came to me, I noticed that he held my hand a little longer than was proper, but soon dropped it after my father gave a loud, agitated order that dog be sent out or behave if he ever tried to bite his feet again.

The atmosphere in the room became relaxed and carefree as the workmen grew steadily more comfortable with my parents who, bless them, were doing their very best to be down to earth and not as superior as the workmen must see them to be.

"Come, dinner should arrive soon" my father declared as a clock in the hall rang, telling us that it was 8pm. My mother helped the men find their chairs, except for Mr Whitlock who seemed to be able to read, because he found his place almost immediately. I took my seat beside him, relieved that neither of my parents had protested at my mixed seating plan.

My father sat opposite Mr Whitlock and the both of them were talking animatedly about the work on the house. Soon the whole table were talking amongst each other as we ate our starters.

By the time the main meal came, I could feel some sort of tension rising between myself and Mr Whitlock. The fact that we were sat extremely close didn't help matters much, especially when his arm would occasionally brush against mine. Even though he hadn't spoken a word to me the whole night, I knew that he was extremely aware of my presence. I only had to sigh, cough or shift in my seat and I would see him stiffen as if he were concentrating hard on me, making sure that I was alright.

By the time our deserts arrived, I gave in. The tension between us was too much, I felt like it was suffocating me and the only way I could be relieved from it was to speak to him or touch him. Seeing as he hadn't made the effort to talk to me the whole night, I decided to be bold. I grabbed hold to his left hand which was rested on his leg. I gasped in surprise as I felt him throw my hand back roughly as if my skinned burned him.

I left my dejected hand on my leg, feeling utterly stupid and close to tears. I focused my eyes on the flower arrangement in the centre of the table which my mother had made earlier in the day while a servant came and cleared away our dessert plates. I tried my best to hide my surprised gasp as I felt a big, strong hand envelop my dejected hand that was on my leg. As casually as I could, I looked to Mr Whitlock, who glanced back at me and then to the servant who had just walked away with our plates. That's when I realised, he threw my hand away because the servant would be sure to notice and tell my parents.

I gave him a small smile and nod, which he returned with a squeeze to my hand. I sighed in contentment as his thumb rubbed the back of my hand gently as if he was trying to say sorry for having thrown my hand away so roughly before.

Once dinner was over, we all stood and went to the drawing room. I took my time, letting to of Mr Whitlock's hand under the table, as I wondered when the next time that I could be so close as this to him would be.

After many thanks, the workmen's boss, Peter declared that they would be heading back now so they could be bright and alert tomorrow morning for work. My mother led the trend as she held her hand out to Peter to kiss, smiling as each of the men followed his lead, repeating the process with me. I held my breath in anticipation as Mr Whitlock came to me. I glanced at my parents nervously, but then relaxed as I realised that they were busy talking to the others.

Mr Whitlock lowered his head and raised my hand simultaneously. After a casual look behind him, he span my hand over, and planted a kiss on my palm and then another to the inside of my wrist as he looked up to me through his eyelashes. I stared back into his eyes, showing him my complete shock and happiness at his bold move.

He let go of my hand as he straightened up, and then walked away, without a word.

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I know that these chapters aren't as long as my other stories, but it's hard to write long chapters for this one. Keep reviewing for me, and I'll keep writing this and All Aboard….(Like you'd let me stop!!;)**


	4. Betrothed?

**Stephenie Meyer owns Alice and Jasper…that's it I swear!!...fine….she owns everything Twilight related too….**

Alice POV.

I woke up from my usual dream, of me getting married to my blonde haired, blue eyed stranger, who wasn't such a stranger anymore. Mr Whitlock was literally the man of my dreams. I sighed as looked at my hand that he had held and kissed last night. I softly ran my fingers over my palm and the inside of my wrist as my mind conjured back the memory of how his lips pressed at those points and how his soft touch caused such excitement and energy to run through my body.

As I dressed, I silently prayed that he wouldn't go back to avoiding me as he had been doing before. I wondered if he was only humouring me when he held my hand, kissed my hand, whispered that he loved me after my fall. I put the thoughts out of my mind as I made my way down stairs and to the kitchen.

I perched myself on a chair in the kitchen and ate some bread that had been left on the counter. I already knew that I was late getting out of bed and that breakfast would have been cleared away by now, but for the first time, I had been avoiding seeing Mr Whitlock in the fear that he would laugh at me and ignore me.

"Would you care to take the lemonade out miss?" Cook broke me from my thoughts as I sat still, staring out of the window.

"I'd love to" I answered mechanically as I stood up and took hold of the tray. She would know that something was wrong if I refused to take out the tray, and then she would send Sophie, who I had already seen batting her eyes at Mr Whitlock. I didn't like it.

Cook opened the door for me and closed it behind me as I walked toward the wall that I usually set the tray on. I kept my eyes on the wall as I passed the corner of the house where the men were working, determined that I wouldn't look for Mr Whitlock and show him just how eager I was to see him.

"Good morning miss" a sweet voice came from beside me as I poured the lemonade into the first mug.

"Good morning…" I whispered back, stupidly nervous at his presence. I kept my eyes fixed on the mugs until I was finished pouring and they slowly disappeared from the tray. The finally one left the tray by a large, familiar hand.

"I enjoyed last night, please tell your parents once again that we appreciate their kindness…" he said formally. I looked up to his face for the first time that day and took in his unearthly beauty.

He gave me a small smile over the rim of the mug as he caught my eyes with his. The intensity in them left me feeling slightly unnerved, yet excited.

"I'll pass on the message…" I muttered quickly, remembering what he had just said to me.

"Did you enjoy your evening miss?" he asked me as he set his mug on the tray and maintained his steady gaze on me.

"Yes thank you…did you?" I asked back, feeling utterly stupid at my poor attempt of a good conversation. I wandered what was wrong with me, I usually found striking up a conversation an easy thing to do. For some reason I felt utterly nervous.

"Yes I enjoyed my night…" he responded. I looked into his eyes and felt them widen as I watched his form draw closer to mine. "I especially enjoyed the time after desert…just before the maid took our plates away…and just after…" I gawped at him as he whispered. I knew what he was referring to. He was referring to when I took hold of his hand and when he then took hold of mine.

"Ohhh…" was my very inarticulate response as I blushed and looked down to my hands which I had been subconsciously wringing nervously. He was less than a step from me by now, is close proximity was slightly unnerving, yet I had the sudden urge to close the distance between us.

"Jasper! Have you drunk all of the lemonade?" Peter asked as he came over to us and glanced into the jug. He smiled and commented on the weather before he refilled his mugged and walked away.

"Jasper?" I asked, looking up to him.

"That's my name miss…" he smiled down at me. I nodded my head slowly as I realised that I'd called my horse Casper and just how close both names were, only one letter differentiated them. I remembered choosing Casper's name after a fuzzy dream that I'd had the night before my horse arrived at the house.

I gave him a small smile as I commented that I liked his name. "I thought you might…" he chuckled, probably at my confused expression before he continued; "I heard that your horse is called Casper…" his smile was infexious, causing me to smile madly along with him.

I nodded my head, wondering how odd it was for me to pick that name out of the thousands that my brother and sister had mentioned. I hadn't heard of the name Casper much before my dream

Regrettably, I realised that I needed to leave. "I need to go now…" I bit my lip as I held back my smile at the thought that had just come to my mind.

"I'll see you soon…?" I noticed that it sounded more like a question as I picked up the tray and the emptied mugs.

"Of course" I responded as I gave him a small smile before heading back to the house. I quickly dropped the tray in the kitchen before called to Max.

"Come on boy, we're going for a walk!" I marvelled at how he grew excited at that small word. I clipped the leash onto his collar and led him out of the door. After tugging at the lead, and effectively tugging at my arm painfully, I let Max go to run across the fields.

After reaching the end of the first field I realised that Max was missing. I turned back to look at the house. I laughed as I noticed that Max was running excitedly around Mr Whitl-Jasper's feet. I smiled as I realised just how much I liked knowing his first name.

I waved at Jasper, hoping that he would be able to send Max to me. I was rewarded with a wave back, but no Max. He was playful and stubborn therefore I knew that there was no hope in me thinking that Max would be joining me at the river.

Turning, I walked on though the last field, alone, whistling some tune to myself. Once I passed the small cluster of trees, I sat down on a large stone and threw the odd pebble into the water while absently looking for a sharp one to finish engraving Jasper's initials into the tree.

"I'm sorry, but he wouldn't leave my side…" I gasped in shock at the familiar voice. I hadn't heard him approach.

"I…no…its fine!" I tripped over my words as the words came scrambled in my mind.

I stood up to face him as Max leapt into the river, splashing noisily behind me. I realised that Jasper was standing directly in front of the tree which I had carved our names into. I quickly dropped my gaze, hoping that he wouldn't see it. I loved him, and he knew it, but it would still be embarrassing for him to see what I had done.

After a long silence, I heard him move as he muttered awkwardly, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you…I..." I looked up to him wondering what he was about to say.

Before he said another word, or I got a chance to say anything, he turned and saw the engraving in the tree.

My face flushed in embarrassment as I turned around with my back to him and wished that I could vanish into a black hole. Jasper said nothing, but I could hear an odd scratching noise behind me. A few tears ran silently down my face over the embarrassment that I felt and as I imagined him scraping the engraving from the tree.

I quickly brushed my tears away as I heard footsteps behind me. I let out a long sigh and slumped my shoulders as I wondered how I would be able to face him again. I watched silently as Max splashed wildly in the water, happy and carefree as I wished to be at this moment. I straightened up and froze as I felt a light touch run down the back of my bare arm, stopping at my hand. I looked down to see a hand nestled in with mine.

A soft whisper came from behind me, "Alice…" I gasped as I realised that was the first time that he had called me by my first name. "I'm sorry, Miss Brandon…I shouldn't have…" he stuttered behind me as he let go of my hand.

"No, its not that! It's just the first time that you've called me by my fist name…" I smiled at him as I took a step towards him and slowly slid my hand back into his.

"I'm sorry…I didn't ask for permission…it just felt…" he shook his head before he lifted his gaze to mine.

"It's fine…as long as I may call you Jasper…" I smirked as I gave his hand a small squeeze.

"You may" he smiled back at me as his thumb ran over the back of my hand softly as he had done last night.

"I should get back to work…before they realise that I've gone…" Jasper whispered in a regrettable tone as he raised our entwined hands and kissed the back of mine.

Reluctantly, I let go of my grasp on him as he stepped away. I felt a strange ache in my chest as I watched him walk away, through the trees. As I turned back to Max, I glanced at the tree and saw the result of the noise that Jasper had been making while I had my back turned to him. He hadn't scratched off the engraving; he'd added a 'J' beside the 'W' of his last name.

I sat down with my back to the river, staring at the tree, making sure that I remembered this moment for the rest of my existence.

_

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A __few days later._

"Alice darling, your father and I would like to talk to you…" I winced at my mothers words. I was just on my way to go and see Jasper when she popped her head out of the drawing room door.

I turned on my heel and entered the drawing room, closing the door behind me. "Sit down dear, we have some exciting news for you" My mother told me as she patted the sofa beside her, grinning wildly while my father sat in the armchair beside us, looking bored at my mothers enthusiasm.

"What have you to tell me?" I asked as I glanced from my mother to my father nervously.

"Your betrothed will be arriving tomorrow and they will be having dinner with us in the evening." My father stated simply before he crossed his legs lazily.

"Betrothed?" I asked, completely confused. I wasn't engaged to be married. My parents and I had never talked about me getting married lately; I supposed that they had dropped the subject until we went to town for the upcoming season. Foolishly, I began to wonder if Jasper had spoken to them and they were willing to let me marry him. Excitement and happiness bubbled within me at the idea.

"Yes, you remember Geoffrey…you used to be good friends…" my father said in a bored tone as he studied his nails. My whole vision of Jasper and I getting married crashed silently around me, crushing my hopes and dreams.

"I haven't seen him since I was six and now I am to be betrothed to him!" I half screamed as I looked wildly from my mother to my father. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yes you are, and there will be no negotiations, he comes from a very good family dear, and you already know him…" My father stated in an offhand fashion as he stood up and walked to the window.

"I wont marry him!" I stood, appalled that my parents had planned this for me behind my back and that I seemed to have no say in the matter. I felt sick at the thought of someone else holding my hand, kissing me and more. I wanted Jasper to be the one to do all of those things to me once we were married.

"You will marry him Alice…" my father turned and glared at me, remaining calm. The finality in his voice scared me.

"Dear, you'll have a few weeks to get to know him…" my mother tired to reason. I didn't wait to listen to what else she had to say, I fled from the suffocating room.

"Jasper…Jasper…" I sobbed under my breath as I leant against the wall outside the kitchen door. My mind ran erratically with jumbles thoughts, I couldn't think straight. I knew that if I saw Jasper, he would calm me down and help me. With determination, I quickly dried my eyes and my sobs abated as I pushed the kitchen door open and made my way through.

"Miss Alice, are you crying?" Cook asked as I passed her.

I gave her a small smile before I lied, "I think it's the flowers…" She gave me a nod of understanding before I stepped outside, into the morning sun. I took a deep breath as made my way to the side of the house to tell Jasper my big news.

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I found some time to write more!! Whoop, whoop!! What will Jasper's reaction be to Alice's big news?!?! Stay tuned for more AxJ!!**

**Review please, they are greatly appreciated:D**


	5. Double Booked

Stephenie Meyer is the mother of all things Twilight, not me, I'm only 18

_**Stephenie Meyer is the mother of all things Twilight, not me, I'm only 18!**_

**Jasper POV.**

After leaving the forest, I was certain. Alice loved me and I loved her with my whole heart. Upon seeing the engraving in the tree and realising that it had been done a few days ago, telling me what already knew deep down, that she'd loved me probably from the first day we met, the same as me.

I got back to work and tried my hardest to block out the ideas that I had to do with how I would whisk her away from her good family and make her happy, living with me on the paltry sum that I earned each week.

Not long after getting back to work, I looked towards the kitchen door at the back of the house, sensing that Alice was there. What I saw scared the life out of me. She looked broken and small as she advanced to me, dabbing at her eyes in an attempt to hide their redness.

I took off my hat and gripped it tightly in my hand as I tried my best to remain calm until I found out what made my angel cry. She finally made it to me, keeping her head bowed, looking venerable and helpless. I almost matched her stance as I bowed over her, instinctively blocking her from everyone else's view as I asked her what was wrong and if she's talk to me.

She startled me as she took a step back and straightened her shoulders before she announced in a conversational, yet dead tone, "You're wanted at the house Mr Whitlock."

After turning back to Peter and receiving a nod of understanding, I followed Alice, keeping a small distance between her and me as I was expected to do.

She opened the kitchen door before me and led me through, passed a woman who seemed to be the cook. "You should let your mother know that those flowers are bothering you miss. All of those vases of flowers about the house can not be good for you…" she commented, receiving a small smile and nod from Alice as she passed, carrying on her walk from the kitchen to a dark and dingy corridor which I guessed to be the servant's corridor.

I followed her silently into a room on the left and stood silently, waiting patiently for her to open up to me. As my mind worked frantically to figure out what had happened to her to turn her from happy and cheerful, to teary and gloomy, she paced, back and forth in front of me like a caged animal as she wringed her hands and sobbed.

"Did someone hurt you?" I spurted as the possibility ran into my mind. I went to grab her shoulders to stop her pacing and make her look at me, but she moved away, hugging her arms around herself as she shook her head in the negative, tears still streaming down her face.

"Please…talk to me love" I begged as I sunk my hands into my hair, gripping tightly in frustration. I felt helpless as she continued to cry and remain silent.

I froze has I watched her face crumple and her mouth open. She quickly closed it and sniffed before she took a deep breath and stared into my eyes intently as she told me. "I'm betrothed."

I knew that the reason that she was staring into my eyes was to gouge my reaction, so I pushed myself to keep calm and level headed. I was sure that there must have been some sort of mistake. Not long before we were happy, I was planning our escape and possible marriage, but now she was getting married to someone else! I felt physically sick at the thought of someone else being with my love, touching her like married couples did, or even simply touching as much as her hand.

After letting the information sink in I let out a long sigh and lowered my hands to my side. "I love you…" I croaked as I reached out to her, hoping that she'd come to my embrace.

The breath was almost completely knocked out of me as her small body crashed into me. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her soundly, relishing in the natural feeling of her in my arms. "I love you too…but we can not be…" she sobbed, shaking from her crying.

"Come here…" I whispered as I led her after me to a sofa and pulled her down onto my lap. She tucked her head into the crook of my neck and wrapped her arms around my neck while I held her to me with one hand scandalously on her thigh and the other rubbing her back.

"Isn't there anything we could do love?" I asked, hoping for the seemingly impossible.

"No, my parents have arranged it all, there is nothing I can do…" her voice broke at the end as she clawed at me, shaking anew with the fresh onslaught of tears.

"Would you leave, come and live with me perchance?" I asked, hoping that she'd say yes, but knowing the cushy sort of life that she would be giving up in order to be with me.

She pulled her head back from me and stared into my eyes, her eyes even redder and still streaming as she whispered fiercely, "Of course I would leave with you…we could leave now, I don't need anything else but you…"

I held her face in my hands and dried away her tears the best I could with my thumbs. "Then it is decided, we will leave, but not until we have to." I told her, trying my best to think as rationally as possible in this horrific situation.

"What? Why can we not leave now?" Alice asked me, her lip quivering with the onslaught of worry.

"I wont deprive you of the short time you have left with your family…and if this is going to happen, I will need time to get things sorted out. I want to be with you, I won't risk loosing you by making unsafe plans" I told her as I closed my eyes rested my forehead against hers.

After a few moments I opened my eyes to see Alice staring down, at my lips. I almost groaned as I looked down to hers just in time to see her licking her lips. "Jasper…" she whispered breathlessly as her eyes shot back up to mine, reflecting the desperation in mine.

In answer to her unknown invitation, I cupped her face softly in my hands, closed my eyes and pressed my lips to hers. Her small moan of pleasure almost shattered my gentlemanly bearing as I relished at the feel of her lips against mine.

I kissed her, my breath coming more laboured especially when I felt her responding, kissing me back with clumsy fervour which made my heart swell as I could tell that she had not kissed anyone else like this before. I slid my hands down slowly from her face to her neck and then slid one hand to her jaw. Slowly, as we kissed, I touched her jaw, urging her to open her mouth which she did. As our strenuous breaths mingled, I ran my tongue over her bottom lip and then inched it into her mouth, groaning as she responded and instinctively brushed her tongue against mine.

Her hands tightened around my neck before I felt them slip into my hair, tugging softly as she moved in my lap, never severing our connection. I placed my hands boldly on either side of her hips as she settled herself, straddling me. I tightened my hold on her hips and pulled her closer, groaning at the friction as she brushed dangerously close to the evidence of my desire for her.

I almost lost myself as I stifled her moan in my mouth before she pushed her hips forward against me again, of her own accord. She broke her mouth from me as she slipped her hands from my hair and settled them on my shoulders, staring intently into my eyes. "Jasper…" she whispered, alerting me to her swollen lips which I once again itched to kiss. "Jasper…I want…I…" she whispered breathlessly once more, drawing my attention back to her eyes which clearly reflected her confusion and desire, "I want…" she began once again, but then bowed her head, her cheeks flushing even more as she finished in a frustrated tone, "I want something, but I don't understand what it is…" she admitted.

"I know love, believe me" I muttered back before she pressed her lips back to mine, opening them almost instantly and urging mine open with her urgent tongue. "We have to stop…" I gasped as she pushed me to breaking point as she brushed her hips down on mine again. "I have to get back to work…" I gave her a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose as I regrettably moved her from my lap to the seat beside me and stood.

After smoothing down my clothes and hair, I turned to see Alice staring up at me, teary eyed once again. "What is it love?" I asked as panic bubbled up in me. I knelt down in front of her and took her hands in mine, kissing them occasionally as I waited for her answer.

"You wont leave me will you?" she asked, avoiding my gaze.

I reached a hand to her chin and lifted her face to look at me. After moving around a little and positioning myself on one knee as I held one of her hands, I asked, "Alice, will you marry me?"

Her answer was a rain of kisses over my face between frantically repeating the word "Yes" a countless number of times.

Once she'd stilled from her most pleasing display of acceptance, I held her face in my hands one more time as I begged her, "Please don't frown anymore, I want to see you smiling. You brighten up the whole place when you smile."

I kissed her smiling lips before I left, telling her that I loved her one more time and hearing "I love you too Jasper" just before I left the room.

**Alice POV. **

I stayed where I was, in one of the unused rooms of the large house as I patiently waited for the colour to recede from my cheeks and my heart to slow down its frantic pace.

"Hello miss Brandon" Sophie's familiar voice came from the doorway, where she stood with a devious smile on her lips. I didn't comment but greeted her back, panicking at the thought that she might have heard me and Jasper declaring our love for each other. "So you are in love with Mr Whitlock, or Jasper as you seem to prefer to call him." She smirked at me as she spoke, her hands planted confidently on her hips. Her words confirmed my fear, she knew.

I was sure that the colour in my face had in fact drained away by now, as I sat still, staring at Sophie as she glared back maliciously at me.

A commotion on the other side of the door drew both of our attention away from each other. Seconds later my mother and father walked in accompanied by a young man who would be deemed as being very handsome until he was made to stand beside Jasper. "There you are darling, this is Geoffrey, you're fiancé." My father stated cheerily.

I tried to remain polite and not frown at the trio. For some reason I looked quickly to Sophie to see her blatantly staring at Geoffrey, looking awestruck. I got up slowly from my seat and walked to him, holding out my hand for him to kiss in greeting before I took a step back smiling while Sophie glared at me. I didn't mistake the joy in her features as my parents stated that Geoffrey would be staying for a week for us to get acquainted.

**I know, I haven't uploaded in 13 days, but I was getting 'All Aboard' finished and 'Love Thy Neighbour' started. This story is still my little baby because it won't be as long as the other stories, probably only about 10 chapters or so if that.**

**Anyway, I hope the fluff made up for the shortness of this story's chapters, if not, then screw you!! Ha-ah! Review for me please, my baby story is somewhat lacking…(sighs and puts on a pitiful pout.)**


	6. Crime Of Passion

"_**Would the owner of the Yellow Porsche 911 please come to the desk"(**__**Alice was given back her keys that she dropped in shock at the sight of a massive sale**__**)…"Would the owner of the recipe book, '101 ways to cook fish for Charlie' please make their way to the reception desk"…**__**(Bella was given back the book which she had written**__**) "and finally would the owner of the Twilight series make their way to the reception desk"…(**__**Stephenie Meyer was mobbed by thousands of women who demanded that she tell them where she kept Edward hidden.**__**) **__**WHOAHH NELLY! What a Disclaimer!! Hahaha!**_

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**Alice POV.**

Geoffrey had changed a lot since I had last seen him, but that wasn't much to talk about. I hadn't seen him since I was six and he had been ten. I recalled the times when we would be forced to play together whenever my mother decided to visit his or vice versa. The memories of the name calling, hair pulling, shoving and teasing came back to me, but I remained clam, knowing that I would get the ultimate revenge on this man who was to marry me. I would marry another, the one who had been in my dreams and had captured my heart for years.

"Alice is that you?!" Geoffrey asked, incredulity in his voice as he maintained his hold on my hand after he had kissed it. I heard my mother in the background ordering a sullen Sophie out of the room, I smiled in satisfaction.

My father must have mistaken the cause of my smile as he looked between us, grinning before he declared, "You'll have to excuse us, I want to show Mrs Brandon something in the orchard…"

I pulled my hand from Geoffrey's before my parents left and turned to the window.

I heard the sound of the door close, telling me that I was now alone with Geoffrey. "Come now Alice, I won't pull your hair as I did when I was a child! There's no need to fear me!" The stranger laughed from behind me.

I turned to look at the 5'10 man who had black hair and brown eyes, and sighed in contentment that this man seemed to be the complete opposite of my true fiancé, who was fair haired with blue eyes and at least 6'3 in height. "I am not afraid of you, forgive me, I'm still getting over the shock that we are betrothed." I half lied, just wanting a good excuse to keep a good distance from him.

"I know…it came as a shock to me as well…" He admitted as he drew up and stood beside me, "But I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you, you're not ugly as I imagined that you would be" I had to suppress a comeback as he continued, "You're quite pretty actually…it will make our marriage night a lot easier with you being easy on the eye…" I almost slapped him at his remark. I shuddered at the thought of him thinking ahead to our wedding and the night. Jasper was the one who I would marry, not this dark, slimy creature.

"So Alice, have you ever kissed a man before?" He asked in a casual manner, completely catching me off guard.

"Yes" I answered quickly to his sudden question, blushing as I recalled the kisses that Jasper had plagued me with not too long ago in this very room. I snuck a look at Geoffrey, hopeful that my confession would disgust him, or he would think less of me and would be more reluctant to marry me.

The look on his face frightened me, he looked pleased. I frowned at him before I asked him why my confession seemed to have pleased him.

"I am just smiling because I want to, fear not…" he laughed placing a heavy hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. I noted that he didn't let go of my shoulder, so as casually as I could I gave it a small jerk, hoping that he'd pick up on my intention and let go.

I began to panic as I felt his hand apply a bit more pressure before he spoke once again. "Would you kiss me Alice? Just once so I may subdue my curious mind?" he asked, adding his other hand to my other shoulder, holding me captive.

"I…I think we should get to know each other first…" I rambled, hoping that he'd let me be and not press me to taint my lips with his.

"Come now Alice…what are a few stolen kisses between a betrothed couple?" he asked, taking a step towards me, leaving me pressed to the wall as I matched his stride in an attempt to get away from him.

"Stolen…" I replied, cringing at the determined look in his eyes and the feel of his hands on my shoulders, "I shall not permit you any kisses from me…and I would not have them stolen either…" I added, hoping that my determination was shining through, warning him to keep away from me.

He gave a weary sigh before his hands ran down to the tops of my arms where he gripped them tightly. "Alice…do you think that I was really asking you for permission? True, you granting them to me would be easier, but I always get what I want…you'd best learn that now before we are married" he snapped before his grip on me became painful and he pressed against me, leaving me squashed between him and the wall.

I turned my head away from him, trying my best to keep my lips from his as my breathing became strained from the panic. I whimpered as I felt his hot breath on my neck, running up to my cheek slowly as if he were trying to make me suffer by prolonging the moment.

**Jasper POV.**

I stepped out of the kitchen, having left my flushed fiancé to regain her composure and then got back to work.

"Stupid Alice!" I flinched at the comment which was spat with true hatred from somewhere around the corner from where I stood.

Casually, I turned the corner of the house, my hands in my pockets. Sophie stood against the wall, fuming as she ripped petals of a small white defenceless flower. "Hello" I greeted her calmly as I drew closer to her.

She jerked her head to me, dropping the battered flower in shock. "Ohhh…I didn't see you there!" she laughed weakly before she let out a heavy sigh, turning her head from me and looking out over the fields.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked in a conversational tone as I matched her stance and leant against the wall beside her.

"I just saw this handsome man, but he's betrothed…" she whispered, burying her face in her hands.

I felt sorry for her, so I reached a hand to her shoulder, showing her that I was still here to listen to her. "Who is this man?" I asked.

"You don't know him…he's not for me" she sniffled as she dropped her hands, her eyes still pouring with tears.

I handed her my handkerchief which she thanked me for before I asked, "What do you mean, he's not for you?"

"He's of another class…and he's betrothed!" she wailed, her body shaking with her sobbing.

"I know how you feel…" I whispered to her as I pulled her into my embrace, hugging her softly. I could feel her relaxing steadily as her crying abated.

"I know…you love Alice…" she sniffed. She must have felt me tense, because she added hastily, "Don't worry, you aren't obvious to anyone, but I overheard you talking earlier." She admitted, looking up to me with pitying eyes which told me that she knew full well of the anguish that I was going through.

"You wont tell anyone?" I asked, praying that she wouldn't and that Alice and I could run away and get married undetected.

"Of course not…I may well have a better change with Geoffrey with Alice out of the picture!" she declared jokingly, but I could tell that she meant what she said. At the mention of the name Geoffrey, I instantly understood that she had fallen for Alice's 'betrothed'.

"Where is this Geoffrey now?" I asked, curious as to get a look at the fellow.

"With Alice in the room that you were in…" she answered me as she pulled from my embrace and began to tidy up her hair.

"Alone?" I asked in horror, hoping that her parents wouldn't be that obtuse as to leave my young beautiful angel alone in a room with a young man.

"I think so, I think I heard her parents leave after me…" she told me before she froze and stared at my eyes, horror clear in them. "You don't think…?" she began before I gave a grave nod of my head and broke off at a run.

I barged through the kitchen, throwing caution to the wind as the cook blasphemed after me in shock. I threw open the door to the usually desolate room and growled in fury as I found the leech's mouth mere inches from my angels quivering form. I could tell where he was going to plant his lips, on her swan like neck. He had the audacity to turn and look at me, smile, and then turn back around, ignoring me as he bent his head to kiss her.

"Get away from her!" I roared, before I ran over and tore his hold on her, making him fall back to the floor. I glared down at him for a few seconds, commanding my mind to regain control of the situation and rein my heart in, which drove me to the idea of beating him to a pulp.

A small strangled sob behind me caught my attention. I turned and my heart broke as I caught sight of my angel, cowered on the floor, curled up as sobs wracked her beautiful frame. "Alice…" I breathed as I leant down beside her and held her close to me, peppering kisses all over her tortured face.

"What the hell do you think your doing? She's betrothed to me! I can kiss her if I want to!" the brute behind me shouted as he got up from the floor. "What's this?" He then asked as he straightened up and took in the sight of me holding my angel to close me.

"Let me deal with him love, I'll be back in a minute, I'll never leave you" I whispered the reassurance in Alice's ear before I placed a lingering kiss on her salt stained lips as tears continued to pour.

"Ohhh I understand now…this is the man you mentioned before isn't it Alice? The one you kissed?" he asked, craning his neck to look around me to glare at Alice who began to crawl away from him, looking broken.

Just as I was working out which part of the heathen to plant my fist into first, he spoke the words which allowed my mind to take a step back and allow my hear to dictate my action. "You little hussy! What is he? Your bit on the side, you hoped to keep us both did you?!" I cut him off from voicing any more horrific accusations by punching him square in his nose.

He fell back, landing on the floor with a satisfying thump before he began to wail in protest. I turned back to Alice once I noted that his nose was running with blood like a tap.

"Love?" I whispered to Alice as I moved toward her tentatively. The look of terror that crossed her face as she looked up, scared me to the core.

"Jasper move!" she screamed suddenly, getting up on her knees in an attempt to pull me from the fist which still managed to clip the back of my head. I turned, fury rising by a tenfold as this fool refused to let me be and see to my love.

"Stop now, before I hurt you anymore, let me and Alice be…" I warned him, my voice cutting at him harshly like a knife, my eyes, murderous.

"I don't think so Jasper…"he sneered before he continued, pointing to Alice, "She's mine! Or she will be soon enough, she can keep you around if she wants, but if she carries your bastard child now…then God help me I'll kill her!" he screamed before he flew at me, his two fists coming with him.

We fell to the floor, hitting, kicking and shoving. I eventually managed to roll on top of the man who was by now out of control in his murderous frenzy. I held him steady as I clamped a hand around his throat, closing up his airways and pummelled his face with my free fist.

"Jasper stop!" Alice screamed from behind me. I stilled instantly at her voice of reasoning, the only voice I was sure that I would have listened to, to end this redemption.

I looked down at the bloody mess that I had created from only four or five punches. The beast was still conscious, so that had to count for something, but I was sure that without Alice's intervention, I would have killed him.

She clawed at me, urging me to turn around to face her. I obeyed to her request and turned, holding her in my arms securely before I stood up and carried her over to a sofa at the far end of the room. I sat down and hugged her close to me, burying my head in her neck while she softly hushed me to calm me down.

"I love you…I'm sorry that I scared you...the things he said!" I muttered as I pulled back, holding her face in my hands softly.

"It's alright now, you saved me." She said simply before she pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss before dropping her head to rest on my chest.

"He didn't touch you did he?" I croaked out, fearing the answer to the pit of my stomach.

"No, his lips didn't even touch me…which is a good thing, because I never want anyone else to kiss them but you…" she whispered, leaning her head up a little for me to seal the deal with a kiss.

Some moments later as the creature began to squirm on the floor, Mr and Mrs Brandon barged through the door, obviously having heard the commotion. "What in the Lords name happened here!?" Mr Brandon screamed, outraged as he surveyed the scene. I felt Alice shrink away from the shout, cowering closer to me.

I hugged her closer in reassurance before I spoke up. "Mr Brandon…that man" I nudged my head in Geoffrey's direction, "Tried to bully your daughter into kissing him…when I arrived, I honestly feared for her virtue" I told him truthfully, shuddering at the thought of what could have happened if I hadn't arrived when I did.

Mrs Brandon quickly dashed from the room while Mr Brandon glared at me. "And what is this mans betrothed, my daughter, doing in your arms now?" he asked me calmly, but his voice held outrage.

"Father I was scared!" Alice yelled in answer before she turned her head back to my chest, sobbing and wrapped her arms around my neck to keep me close to her, as if she was afraid that her father would rip her from me.

"Scared? Scared girl? You are betrothed to this man! What are a few kisses when you will be married in a few weeks?!" Mr Brandon yelled, his face growing red with anger.

"I don't love him! I don't want to marry him, why won't you listen to me!" she screamed back at him, fighting against the sobs. I rubbed her back gently and cradled her closer to me, gently wiping her tears away while the only sounds now audible was that of Mrs Brandon bustling around with the cook whom she had retrieved to get Geoffrey cleaned up.

"Ohhh Alice" her father snapped with not a trace of love in his voice, "My ears are clean and my eyes are open, I can see what's going on now that the cloud of deceit has been lifted…no man would hold a woman so tenderly without loving her. That's it isn't it?" he asked, his voice as sure as the truth was.

"Yes…" Alice's voice broke on that small word as she held me closer, staring at her father nervously.

"What did you think would happen? That you and this squire would live happily ever after?" he asked, mocking mine and my angels very own dreams.

Alice showed enough bravery to sit up straighter in my lap and break her now determined stare at her father for long enough to turn to me and kiss me passionately. I responded to her kiss instinctively, stroking her tongue with mine before I broke away after swallowing her moan of pleasure. I stared at Alice astounded at her boldness while she glared back at her sick looking father and told him, "I love Jasper, I will leave this house penniless and never return just to be with him"

My heart swelled at her words. I didn't blame her threat by the way that her father was treating her now, especially after learning what Geoffrey had attempted earlier and brushing the matter aside. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, eliciting a roar of outrage from her father. "You will not leave this house, I will lock you up if I have to! You will learn to obey me!" he voiced loudly before he strode forcefully over and attempted to pry Alice from my arms.

She smacked at her father while I tried my best to turn my body around to shield her. I eventually managed to turn us enough so that Alice was cocooned safely in my arms while her father's onslaught remained on my back.

"I'll send for the law! They'll lock you up! I'll plant evidence on you and you shall swing for it!" Her father yelled as he still tried to get past me to my love.

"Jasper, he will…please…I don't want you to die because of me" Alice sobbed before she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me desperately as if it were our last.

"Fine old man! May Alice's misery forever be on your hands!" I said forcefully as I was attacked by what I guessed to be a kick in my back. I groaned in pain while Alice whimpered. "I'll leave and never return if you promise me that she will never have to marry that Geoffrey" I wagered with her father as I stood up, aching all over.

"You have my word, now leave!" her father barked as Alice clawed at me, desperate for me to look at her.

I turned to her for the last time before I had to leave. "You told me that you would never leave me!" she challenged me as she desperately held my face in her perfect hands.

"I lied." The truth tore at my heart. I wanted to desperately tell her that this was all just a bluff for her fathers sake, but I couldn't dare risk her father cottoning on to my plan.

I held her hands in mine, even as she tried to pry them free and then leant my head down close to hers, "Remember that I love you" I whispered into her ear before I gave her a kiss to back up my solemn vow.

"Don't leave me! You can't leave me!!" her torn high pitched scream rang behind me as I numbly made my way out of the house. I knew that her father was holding her prisoner in his arms or else she would have run after me like a ball of fire, demanding that I stay and that I was wrong and she was right.

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I know 14 days since the last update!! There might only be one or two chapters left…there was going to be more, but I changed the plotline because I wanted Jasper to fight Geoffrey for Alice's honour, so now it'll come to an end swiftly!! Hope you all liked it; this one came pretty quickly to me once I got it going, about 3 hours?

**Anyway, Review's for my baby please to nourish it and make it grow nice, big and strong!**


	7. Rendezvous

_**Stephenie Meyer owns all, lets just leave it at that.**_

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_Holy cakes! Haven't updated in 11days! I just wanted to add that the name of the inn comes from 'Daphne Du Maurier's' AMAZING book called 'Jamaica Inn' (GO READ IT!). Well here you go!_

**Alice POV.**

"Let go of me!" I screamed, consumed in rage as my father held me prisoner in his arms as I thrashed about. He never said a word while I struggled, screamed and cried. He just held me captive, remaining impassive at my every word, my every angry action.

"I hate you." I finally spat in a low, lethal voice a long while later when I had tired myself out. He must have sensed that I was worn out because his hold slackened with time. "He's my life and now he's gone…" I added in the same hollow voice before he finally let me free of his hold. I felt myself falling, but never reached the ground. I stared back, blankly into my father's eyes as he carried me to my bedchamber, feeling numb and lost.

My father set me on my bed silently and then turned to the door. Before he exited, he turned back to me and said in a stern voice, "You'll forget about him soon enough Alice, it's just a flying fancy" He slammed the door after him, and I listened to his heavy footfalls as he stormed down the hall away from me.

I curled up into a ball to try and lessen the ache in my chest which tore at me, making it hard for me to breath. Tears stung at the back of my eyes as my neck contacted from the new wave of grief at my loss of Jasper. I winced at the thought of his name. The pain seared quickly through me when I thought of him, but I knew that I had to get used to it, I would never and could never forget about the man I had loved for years before I had even met him.

I remained in my bedchamber for days, analysing and over analysing every word which Jasper and I had shared in our fateful last meeting, trying to decipher some hidden meaning in his words or actions which would contradict his words to my father. He had so convincingly told me that he had lied when he told me that he would never leave me, but then he seemed to contradict himself when he turned to me before leaving, holding my hands firmly in his as he whispered_ "Remember that I love you"._ There had been something in his voice when he said those words, it seemed as if he was stressing them, or that there was some significant meaning in the reason that he's added 'remember' at the beginning.

After days and nights of mulling over this theory, I gave up. My mind never seemed to work properly, only when someone would come to my door or even have the courage to enter. My mind would surge and propel itself and my body into a rage of fury where I would lash out until I was left alone once more. I didn't want to see anyone; I didn't want to hear anyone. Sophie tried her best, but she was wise enough to retreat whenever she sensed that one of my rages were on the way, which I was grateful for. My rages tended to exhaust me due to the emotional strain and the physical seeing as I hadn't eaten anything since the day Jasper left even though trays of food were routinely sent up to my room.

I glanced out of the window beside me and sighed as I realised that the night was descending. I heaved a great sigh of weariness as I readied myself for the dream. The one which yet continued even after Jasper's leaving, of us getting married. The nighttimes also played havoc with my mind. In my sleepy state I would often hear odd sounds from outside, but I was always too exhausted to bother getting up to see what it was all about.

**Sophie POV.**

I crept out of the back door as I had been doing since the first night. After making sure that the door wouldn't lock behind me, I made my way around the back of the house to the forest beside and finally to the road. Once there I walked the mile to the nearest village which also held the popular Jamaica Inn.

I nodded a greeting to the innkeeper before he pointed to the far corner silently over the crowd of men. I pulled the hood of my cloak from my head and made my way through the crowd until I reached the table in the corner which the innkeeper had pointed out to me.

There slumped a young man, a stranger compared to what he had been days before. His head rested on his arms upon the table while he occasionally breathed the odd heavy, heartfelt sigh.

I silently took my seat opposite him and waited for him to pull himself together. As soon as he realised that I was there, he lifted his head from the table and stared at me with empty, troubled eyes. "Sophie…what news have you for me?" Jasper asked quickly as he leant forwards toward me, his hands grasping the sides of the table tightly.

"She's still not left her bedchamber, nor eaten a bite." I told him as I sat back in my seat and folded my arms.

He looked up at me with anguished eyes before he asked once more, "And you've tried to talk to her…isn't there something-"

I cut off his question quickly, "Jasper, I've tried. You haven't seen her in one of her rages, she's become a different person without you, it's as if you took her with you and left her shadow" I told him softly, trying to control my temper after hearing the same repeated question that he always asked.

"I'm sorry for repeating myself…I know you try…" he whispered back before running a hand over his face. "What's happened with Geoffrey?" he suddenly asked. Another question that he always asked without fail.

"Still no sight or sound of him. Apparently he's been packed off home" I informed him. "There's been some gossip among the staff that Mr and Mrs Brandon are going about telling those who knew about the betrothal that Miss Alice has decided to cry off, because she wasn't ready for marriage or she didn't think that they would suit."

I noted his fists clenching at my last words. I has heard Alice's screams that afternoon and seen a bloody Geoffrey being led out to the kitchen. The servants soon began to gossip and the tale of the afternoons happenings was soon well known by nightfall. I shivered in my seat as I did every time when I remembered back to when I first saw the beautiful man and fancied myself in love with him.

"She hasn't eaten anything since I left?" Jasper suddenly asked, breaking our lingering silence.

I shook my head in the negative before I remarked, "And neither have you by the look of it…" I leant back and kept silent after he gave me a scathing look. I looked over him quickly while he seemed to be contemplating something and noted the gaunt, haggard look that had washed over him since he'd left. He had the same look as Miss Alice. _So this is what being heartbroken looks like_…I mused after one last look over him.

"If I gave you something, a note, would you promise me that you could get Alice to read it?" he suddenly asked, his eyes excited, hopeful for the first time in days. I couldn't deny that first true positive look in his eyes which was such a world away from the empty hopeless look that he usually held, so I agreed an assured him that I would do all I could.

He got up from his chair and headed to the bar. After a minute of two he returned and carefully wrote out a few letters which were encased in a heart. When I asked him what it meant, he explained to me about the tree beside the river and how they had engraved their initials in the bark.

I tucked the note into my cloak once it was done and then got up, knowing that I should head back to bed before some busybody would realise that I was absent from my bed. "I'll walk you" Jasper stated once more, as he did every night. I asked him on the first night why he didn't simply come and meet me at the house grounds, his answer had been that he didn't know if he could ever trust himself to be so close to Alice again until she forgive him, or else he would barge into the house and make her see sense and in turn probably end up shot.

We walked in silence back to the house. Jasper hid at the side of the house as he always did and watched me to make sure that I got into the house alright. Once inside, I waited for a few moments before slipping back out to witness the heartbreaking scene that I had witnessed last night and the once before that.

Remaining in the shadows, I kept silent as I watched Jasper picking at the gravel at the front of the house. After a few moments I pulled back a bit more into the shadows in case he'd see me and silently watched him as he tossed small pebbles up to Alice's window. She never answered him before, so I doubted that she would tonight, but I watched until he gave up and left regardless.

I turned back to the house and slipped in as silently as I possibly could. I shut the back door and locked it before I felt in my pocket for the note. I pondered whether I should take it to her now, or leave it until morning, but my decision was made for me when I heard the sound of a light patter of feet out in the hallway.

I shrunk back into the shadows the best I could, but a soft voice pulled me from it. "Sophie, I won't play hide and seek with you…" Miss Alice stated in a flat tone as the door from the hall shut with a click as she stood in front of it, the candle in her hand basking the kitchen in a soft glow.

"How do you feel? Is there something that I could get you?" I asked her as I walked to her. She remained silent as she passed me to sit at the stool beside the worktable.

"I wouldn't say no to a glass of milk…" from the moonlight that flooded from the window in front of her, I caught her small smile and the gaunt look about her. I gave her a smile back before I set to heating up some fresh milk.

We both remained silent while I heated up the milk. I supposed that she was still in her depressive state and had no inclination to talk, while I simply remained silent in case I said the wrong thing and sent her into one of her rages or into a deeper depressive state.

She thanked me when I gave her the glass of milk and a plate of biscuits in the hope that I could entice her to eat. Thankfully she nibbled on the biscuits, and then I belatedly remembered the letter I had in my pocket. I cursed myself for having forgotten about it, but I reassured myself that I had a just reason; Miss Alice was out of her bedchamber having been locked away for three or more days.

"I…um…" I stuttered, foolishly second thinking myself now that I had begun talking.

"What are you hiding from me Sophie?" Alice asked flatly and simply, her eyes staring into mine in an uncomfortable way, as if she could read me completely.

"I have a note…" I whispered. At my words, she dropped her biscuit from her hands with a clatter to the plate. "Please…you must read it, its short; I can't read what it says…" I admitted to her as I pulled the note from my pocket and slid it to her across the countertop.

Her hands remained clenched tightly in fists upon the top as she stared down at the folded note, her eyes wide and her breathing laboured. "I…no…" she whispered in denial, a horrified look on her face as she shook her head back and forth.

I remembered how Jasper begged me to get her to read the note, so I took advantage of her frozen state and quickly opened the note up to show her what message was hidden and then moved the candle over so she could easily read it.

Her gasp wavered around the room as we had both become deathly silent in the seconds it took her to read the note and decipher its message. ""He loves you; he never meant a word he said that day…" I muttered hurriedly, trying to make her understand and hopeful that she would finally listen having ignored everyone for the past few days.

"Remember that I love you…" I just managed to catch her whisper before she lifted her head up to look at me. "Is this some sort of joke?" she snapped at me harshly while her eyes glared at me with suspicion.

"No! I don't even know how to write…Mr Whitlock gave it to me an hour or more ago…" I gushed, hoping that she wouldn't think that I would stoop so low to hurt her or to get some perverse pleasure from her pain.

"I believe you." She answered simply, her face once again devoid of emotion. "I'm going back to bed" she informed me as she got up from her seat and picked up the candle in one of her hands and the note in the other.

"Miss…maybe you should go to the window the next time you hear some odd sound in the night…" I tinted for both hers and Jasper's sake.

She frowned at me before a movement in her hands caught my eye. I watched silently, in horror and disbelief as she slowly dropped her cold gaze from me while she held the note to the flame and let it burn. She let the last burning piece fall to the stone floor before she looked back to me once more and asked in a polite, yet blank voice, "Would you clean that up before you go to bed?"

"Yes…" I muttered in shock before she slipped from the room silently and I got up to find the brush. I wondered how she could have burnt the letter. I knew I wouldn't have, having heard the story behind the letter and what it had meant to Jasper and what it was supposed to have meant to her.

After cleaning the ash from the floor, I cleaned up the evidence of Alice's midnight snack and headed to my own bed. While getting changed I wondered if I should even bother trying to help the two of them anymore. Jasper was lovesick and desperate while Alice was heartbroken and cold. Neither of them it would seem, could see sense and would push themselves a little further to break this barrier between them.

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One more chapter left and then my baby will fly the nest, never to return again! Awwww bless!

**I've got an idea for another AxJ old-style story in the pipeline so stay tuned, it'll definitely be longer than this one seeing as this story never really had a plotline further than them meeting that first day, that's all I had! The rest I just made as I went along….could you tell? Hahaha!**

**Review for my baby and Jasper will show up at your door…(Offer not guaranteed…;)**


	8. Flee

**Stephenie Meyer owns all, enough said.**

**Awww…my baby story is all grown up and flying the nest….Anyway….Here's the last and longest chapter folks…with the reason for the 'M' rating I might add! There you impatient people!!**

**Alice POV.**

My heart raced as I walked coolly from the kitchen, away from Sophie. I berated myself for having burnt the note, but evidence of Jasper's contact would have dire consequences if anyone else were ever to find it. Especially my parents.

The little piece of paper told me all that I needed to know. Jasper still loved me. Only he would recreate the engraving which proclaimed our love that I had begun and he had finished. Others may have simply written the words 'I love you', but Jasper's interpretation was perfect, just as he was.

I hadn't thought that I would easily forgive him for the last three days of hell that I had gone through, being in two minds, thinking and scrutinising each of his words and actions since we had met, but, his message finally brought an end to my scruples and I now I simply ached to see him.

The ache could be mistaken for hunger, which may well be true, was my hungry desperation to see Jasper again. To see his smile, feel his touch, anything as long as we were together again.

I got into bed and wondered when I would see him again. Did the note mean that I was supposed to meet him beside the lake, at the tree? Even in my tired state I knew that meeting him tomorrow would be impossible. Everyone would be suspicious of me if I suddenly got up and out of the house after having been wailing and moping all this time. No, I needed to stick it out a few more days. Before I fell asleep, I remembered something about a party that my family were attending on the weekend. Maybe I would get the chance to escape to my Jasper then? All Sophie needed to do for me was point me in Jasper's direction and then head back to the house as if she knew nothing.

The days leading up to Saturday consisted of Sophie and me whispering our plans. I had ordered that Jasper stay away until late Saturday night when my parents would be safely away while I spent the next few days acting more normal. I left my bedchamber, ventured out to the garden to play with Max and my siblings and feed some chunks of carrots to my beloved Casper.

"Are you sure that you wont join us tonight?" my mother asked with hope in her eyes as we sat for our afternoon tea in the day room.

"No, I best not. I don't think that I would be very good company." I answered, hoping that she would drop the subject and let me be to simmer in my anticipation for tonight.

"I suppose you are right…but you've improved so much these past few days, wont you consider coming?" she asked, testing my patience with her persistence.

"No." I said sharply. Thankfully, my mother had enough sense to see that the conversation was over as she fussed over the tea tray as a distraction to my snappy answer.

Once the tea was poured and we had fallen into an idle silence, my mother decided to ruin it. "Sophie will be coming with me tonight of course." She said before sipping at her tea and looking out the widow.

"What? But Sophie's my ladies maid…what do you need her for?" I asked, enraged that my mother was unknowingly taking away mine and Jasper's go-between.

"Cecilia always gets bored at these functions," my mother sighed before she continued, "and you know how Ben gets…" she added while rolling her eyes.

"But why does Sophie have to go with you?" I asked while trying my best to remain cool and seem passive.

"Because you won't be there to keep them in check. There's no use for her here tonight with you at home, so it was the only logical solution." My mother summarised while I angrily asked in my mind why she couldn't keep her own children in check.

I sulked for the rest of the afternoon that I spent with my mother and plotted the change of plans for tonight.

"Sophie!" I hissed in the kitchen doorway as I caught her on her way out of the back door.

"Miss Alice…what can I do for you?" Sophie asked politely and naturally as she walked to me, her eyes betraying her coolness with their panic.

"I need a little help…" I said simply before waving at cook and dragging Sophie from the kitchen, to my bedchamber.

"What? What is the matter?" Sophie asked hurriedly as she shut the door behind her with a bang.

"My mother." I growled before I began pacing the floor.

"What has she done now?" Sophie asked wearily, holding no regard for my mother as she should have seeing as she was her employer.

"You need to contact Jasper, quickly, you wont be here tonight, my mothers taking you to the party." I told her before I slumped onto my bed in helplessness.

"How can I get hold of Jasper? I can't exactly leave the house and go to town can I…" she hissed in return, looking at me in anger.

"Hey, I didn't plan this!" I told her, feeling uneasy under her glare.

"I know, I know…" Sophie replied with a sigh before she continued, "It's just…I was supposed to be at the back door to let Jasper in…I cant leave the door unlocked, because someone will lock it after me and there's no other way for Jasper to come in. Without contacting him, he will think that I've let him down." She finished as she crossed her arms.

"Don't worry Sophie…Jasper's smart…I'm sure he will work things out…" I whispered hoping to god that he would.

"I hope so, for your sake" Sophie muttered before she excused herself and left my room. I lay in bed for a while after, mulling over her words. She was right; it would be fatal if anyone were to come across Jasper especially if we were caught together.

That night, as my family left, I placed a burning candle in my bedroom window to let Jasper know that I was waiting for him. I knew it was only 6 in the evening and early, but I would replace the candle later on if needed. I would wait for Jasper in the hope that he would manage to come to me unscathed.

**Jasper POV.**

No message, no sign or signal, nothing. Something was wrong. Sophie was supposed to leave a length of blue ribbon at the forest's edge before nightfall to let me know if I could proceed or a length of red ribbon if I was to turn back and try again some other night. Neither sign was there for me, telling me whether to stop or go. My gut instinct told me that something was wrong, but Alice was fine and that I also needed to get to her. That final instinct was always there in the background so I wasn't too surprised to feel it.

After a few contemplative minutes, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go on and face the consequences of my natural instinct which told me to go to. It was already nearing midnight and was much later than I had anticipated on arriving the house, but unforeseen problems rose such as the hiring of a coach. It had been scheduled for tonight so Alice and I could run away, but it had now been delayed until tomorrow morning.

I skirted along the forests edge as I advanced to the house. I did as I had planned and went around to the back door, only to find it locked. I tried to pry it open by using a piece of wire from my pocket, but it wouldn't open.

I walked back around to the front of the house, being careful of being silent. I routinely picked up a few small bits of gravel and was about to throw them at Alice's bedroom when I noticed that there was a candle burning in the window. I chucked a few pieces of gravel at the window, hoping that the candle meant that she was staying awake for my arrival and hadn't given up hope on me yet.

Thankfully, a few moments later, a breathtaking figure came to view, moved the candle aside and opened the window. "Jasper!" she said just loud enough for me to hear.

"Alice! I can't get in…" I told her, trying to remain calm when I itched to get to her.

"I know…I know…" my angel sighed looking devastated. "My mother took Sophie with her…she couldn't leave the door open for you…" she continued before she turned slightly from the window. I saw her wiping away tears before she turned back, seemingly fine.

The fact that Alice was crying over such a trivial detail was heart-warming. If I couldn't get to her through a door, I might as well try getting to her through a window. I studied the wall of the house and the trellis upon it before I blew Alice a quick kiss and begun to latch onto the trellis and climb.

"Jasper! Please tell me you aren't climbing the trellis!" Alice hissed as I hauled myself up near to the top of the fist story of the house. I grinned at the un-needed panic in her voice but remembered that I had failed to tell her that I had been an expert at climbing various things like walls and trees as a child. This trellis was like a walk in the park for me.

I steadied myself and then looked up to Alice's window, ready to tell her all this, but the sight above me made me loose all coherent thought.

"Get back in that room now!" I growled, making Alice freeze in her position where she was half way out the window, gripping at the frame with white knuckles.

"Jasper…I only want to help you!" She squeaked before I lowered my gaze from hers and hauled myself up the rest of the building until I was next to her.

"Alice, get back into your room." I ordered simply.

"I cant…" she gasped quickly while my gaze locked on her white knuckled grasp on the window frame and the ledge which she was torturously balanced on.

Perfect. My Alice was perched on the window ledge, depicting and angel as she wore a thin, white nightdress, and looked down lovingly at me but was also gripped in terror at the same time. Slowly as to not startle her, I told her my plan and then set it into motion. I managed to climb back down a few meters, go under her window and come back up on the other side before I gripped onto the window ledge and managed to get in through my side of the window.

"Stay calm Alice…you know I won't let anything happen to you…" I whispered as I reached out to her and touched her sides. Her shock caused her to jump slightly but I thankfully managed to wrap my arms securely around her waist and pull her back into my hold. "Alice…let go…" I ordered her softly as she maintained her death grip on the window frame and ledge.

As her grasp slackened, I pulled her back to me and in through the window. I breathed a huge sigh of relief once she was held in my arms, her back pressed tightly against my chest while I stood there staring out of the window at the darkness of night.

"I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…" Alice stuttered as she struggled in my hold.

I didn't release her or ease my grasp until I calmed down enough. I span her around to face me and then held her beautiful face in my hands. "Don't ever scare me like that again…" I whispered weakly with my forehead resting against hers and fear laced in my voice.

"I wont! I promise…I've never been scared of heights until now!" she defended herself as she wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me close to her.

I kissed her lips softly before I wound my arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, into a hug. I buried my nose into the side of her neck while she clung onto me and toyed with my hair with her other hand.

"I'm glad that you are here." Alice whispered as I relinquished my hold on her and set her back down on her feet.

"I'm glad that you finally came to your senses and accepted the note from Sophie" I grinned, hoping that she would see that I was being serious and joking at the same time.

"I should never have doubted you." She stated with a sob as she buried her face into my chest. I held her to me as she cried and then walked her over to the bed to sit.

"Shhhh" I chanted as I rubbed her back and smoothed her hair from her face.

Her sobs soon subsided, leaving her with red eyes and trails of tears over her face. I held her face in my hands gently as I leant forward to kiss away the tears. I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her eye's, everywhere but her lips.

"Jasper…" she whispered with her eyes closed. I watched her as her eyes fluttered open and her gaze locked on mine. Her eyes showed her want and need which I was all too wiling to succumb to for now even though I knew that I would have to leave her unsatisfied and desperate for more. I grinned as I thought of the fact that she would just have to wait until our wedding night. I decided that if I was going to torture her for a while, I might as well do it thoroughly.

I pulled myself from her grasp before I stood up beside the bed and stared down at her. She squirmed under my intense gaze before I leant down and picked her up, only to lie her down in the middle of the bed. She gave me a quizzing look which I replied with a shrug, "It'll be more comfortable than sitting."

She silently smiled and gave a short nod which clearly showed her confusion before I lay down beside her, propped up on my elbow so I had the advantage of being able to look down at her beauty.

"What do we do now that we're comfortable?" Alice asked in a whisper as she stared up at me, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"Anything," I began with a kiss to her cheek. "You," I continued, kissing her forehead and then finished with, "Want." And kissing her other cheek.

"Alice…you forgot to say Alice…" she stated with a devilish smile on her lips as her eyes sparkled.

"Hmmmm…you're right, let's try it again…" I smirked before I repeated the same three words with the same actions and then added the word "Alice" and kissing her chastely on the lips.

"No…you did it wrong…" she grinned up at me as her hands reached around my neck and her fingers dipped into my hair.

My heart sped up at Alice's teasing but I decided to play along until we would both have to stop. I moved so I was laid on top of her, my forearms on either side of her holding the full pressure of my weight from her. Slowly, I lowered my lips to hers and began to kiss her. Her hands remained in my hair, tugging as I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue brush against hers whilst becoming intoxicated by her taste and feel.

I broke my lips from her hungry mouth in order to breathe but carried on kissing down the side of her neck. Beneath me I could hear her moaning whenever I would suck at her neck while unintentionally adding some more of my weight onto her as I lost my senses and gave into instinct of getting closer to her.

I raised my head and kissed her lips lightly before I stared into her eyes. The love emanating from them brought a lump to my throat which I tried to distract myself from by caressing her face gently. "I love you…" I whispered hoarsely as I smoothed her hair from her face.

"I know you do…I've always known you would." She whispered with a smile as she ran her hands from my shoulders to my chest. She grabbed two fistfuls of my shirt before she caught me off guard and tugged me down onto her and wrapped her arms around my torso.

The sensation of her opening her legs to rest on either side of me and running the pads of her feet over my legs drove my wild. "Alice…" I growled, knowing that she was pushing me to the brink even if she didn't know that she was doing it.

"Hmmmm?" she replied while biting her bottom lip, a picture of innocence as she continued to stroke my legs with hers.

"You need to stop that Alice…" I groaned as I buried my face in the crook of her neck and she tugged the bottom of my shirt from my trousers.

"No I don't…" she whispered seductively as her hands began to roam up my back, beneath my shirt.

"Yes you do." I responded before I contradicted myself and began to plant hungry, wet kisses along the side of her neck.

Her nimble hands made easy work of my shirt buttons and it soon lay forgotten on the floor beside the bed. "You're so beautiful…" she whispered as she ran her hands tentatively over my chest, following her hands with her eyes.

"You're the beautiful one love." I corrected her as I braced myself up once more on my forearms and stared down at her.

"You told me that I could do whatever I want…and I want to do this…" she whispered in my ear, making me freeze for a few moments from the significance of her words. I thawed from my shock the moment she caught my lobe in her mouth and sucked at it.

I soon captured her mouth with mine and kissed her deeply before I began to slowly inch one of my hands up her thigh, pushing her nightdress higher and higher.

Within moments, her nightdress was a heap on the floor and I was stood beside the bed, frantically tugging away my clothes.

**Alice POV.**

I could tell that I was blushing scarlet as I lay naked on the bed. Jasper had already reprimanded me for trying to cover up, so I remained still and distracted myself from the embarrassment as I watched him undress.

His shirt came off and showed off incredible muscles and a body that would surely be fitting for a god. The rest of his clothes soon followed, but when he went to take off the final part of his clothing, I caved and had to look away. I knew that I shouldn't be embarrassed, I was with the man I loved, but this was all new to me and I had no idea what to do.

I felt the bed tip as he got back on the bed and lay beside me. "Alice love…we don't have to…" Jasper whispered. I didn't look at him, but could feel his stare on me.

I contemplated whether I was truly comfortable with Jasper like this, and realised that I was, but that didn't stop the nervousness and anxiousness. All my insecurities however vanished after I noticed Jasper moving beside me. Seconds later, my mind was changed at the feel of his lips pressing against my stomach.

I looked down to see him lying on his side, propped up on his elbow as his other hand gently skirted over my stomach, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. After a few moments, he swooped his head down once more and kissed my stomach.

"Jasper…" I whispered his name as a plea. I didn't know if it was a plea for him to stop, or continue, but thankfully he moved back up and kissed me tenderly on the lips.

"Alice love…" He whispered before he ducked his head and kissed my neck, his hair tickling skin.

"Jasper…I want this, I want you" I whispered as I tentatively reached my hands out and ran them over his bare shoulders.

"I want you too." He grinned at me before he moved so he was practically hovering over me. I could feel enough of his weight, but not so much that it crushed me.

My arms ran down, over his sculpted back of their own accord while Jasper captured my lips in his and began to languidly kiss me. I returned his kisses while something in the back of my head told me to move my legs. I followed my instinct and managed to move them from under him, to twine them with his legs.

"Alice…" Jasper almost growled as he broke our kiss and rested his head on my shoulder. I blushed even more intensely as I now felt something warm and hard pressing against my stomach after my shift of position.

I remained silent, unsure of what to do but kiss him. I kissed his forehead and then managed to coax his head back up so I could kiss his lips once more. Some sort of tension seemed to be building between us so I thrust my tongue into Jasper's mouth and sought his to brush against mine. Our moans were lost to each other, and mine only intensified as Jasper broke his mouth from mine and stared at me while he held my breast in his hand and began to rub.

My breathing became laboured as Jasper moved lower down and captured my hardened nipple in his mouth. The shock of passion flashed through me and the intense feeling of his teasing mouth caused me to grab hold of his head and keep him there.

I could hear his groans matching my moans by the time I began to respond, moving my legs from around his, so they wrapped around his waist.

"Alice…" Jasper moaned against my neck while he continued to tease my breasts in his hands. I ran one of my feet down his leg slowly in response, hoping that he understood that I was too breathless to talk at the moment. "Are you ready?" he questioned my as he rested his forehead gently against mine, his eyes pooling with passion, desire and nervousness?

I nodded my head as much as I could while he still rested his head on mine before I kissed him, holding his perfect face in my hands. He broke from our tender kiss after a few moments and I moved my hands back to his tense shoulders. "This might hurt…it'll get better, but it might hurt…" he warned me with pain evident in his eyes.

"I don't care Jasper…as long as I'm with you…" I whispered, telling him the truth. What was a bit of pain? It couldn't be anywhere as bad as the pain of being away from Jasper.

He kissed my neck while one of his hands trailed slowly down my body. I expected him to stop at my breast, but he continued to inch his hand lower. When he passed my stomach I realised where his hand was going. "Jasper?" I gasped his name in shock as his hand inched lower. When his hand reached the apex of my thighs, I could do nothing else but moan his name.

Jasper brought his mouth back to mine at the same moment his fingers slipped into me. I gasped against his lips at the feeling, especially when his thumb began to rub the nub which seemed to send electric through my body, making me even more aware of Jasper's every touch. I continued to kiss him back while he matched the stroking of his tongue with the pace that he set his fingers.

I broke my mouth from his as I strained for breath, feeling as if something was building up in my nether regions. "Jasper…" I gasped out his name with got the undesired result of him removing his fingers from me. "Jasper…" I practically growled this time, highly annoyed by his actions.

"Shhh love…" he whispered as I felt something else at the entrance that Jasper's fingers had just left. He must have heard my gasp, because he suddenly caught my eyes with his. His eyes begged for me to tell him what to do, so I nodded my head and gave him a small smile of encouragement. "Relax…" he crooned into my ear as he pushed forward, his member sinking deeper into me.

"I am…" I replied with a gasp as he pushed forward a little deeper.

"Alice…you're not…I can tell…" Jasper mumbled against my neck, sounding slightly pained; before I felt him move slowly back out.

"No!" I almost yelled as I clamped my legs around him tighter.

"Relax then!" he ordered me before he set his head on my shoulder and inched back in.

I didn't answer him, but tried my best to relax. He was right, I wasn't completely relaxed because I was desperately trying to remember every detail of this moment and exactly how I felt.

The moment his tongue found my hardened nipple, all thought was lost from me and I simply moaned and gripped his shoulders tighter.

With one quick thrust Jasper planted himself fully in me. I couldn't help but let out a small squeak at the pain, but I was sure that it was more from shock at Jasper's sudden thrust.

"Alice…I'm sorry…you relaxed and I thou-"

I cut his worried babbling off by smiling at him and telling him, "I'm fine; it was more shock than anything…"

"I love you…" he whispered against my lips before he kissed me tenderly. I clenched my inner muscles to see how I felt, but only got a groan from Jasper. "Little sprite…" he gasped in my ear as I clenched once more.

Just as I was beginning to wonder if this was it, he began to move out of me. I was about to voice my protest before he thrust back in. My head fell back and my breathing hitched at the intense feeling. "More…" I gasped as Jasper went to draw back once again.

"Anything you want love…" Jasper mumbled against my neck, his smile evident in his voice.

He continued to thrust into me, and soon, I was pushing my hips up to meet his, thrust for thrust. The tension within me was building up in me to an almost overwhelming amount as I gasped for air and Jasper dropped his head to my shoulder and grunted with each thrust. "Alice…" he gasped just as I felt the tension becoming more heightened.

"Jasper, I'm getting closer, but I don't know what to…" I admitted to him as I clutched my arms around him tighter.

"Ohhh god…." He groaned before speeding up his thrusts. My back arched and I forgot to breathe as I felt all the built up tension explode, leaving each of my nerve endings buzzing. Jasper moaned my name as he got his release and then he slumped onto me, both of our bodies shining with sweat from our lovemaking.

I whimpered as I he pulled out of me moments later so he could lie on his back. I curled up into his side and rested my head against his chest, listening to his pounding heart. "I love you Jasper" I whispered as his arms wrapped around me and kept me tight to his side.

He didn't reply verbally but gave me a meaning glance and kissed the tip of my nose before he lay back down and steadied his breathing.

**Jasper POV.**

I lay in Alice's bed, her curled up to my side while the birds chirped outside and the light of morning filtered through the window. I guessed it to be around 4am in the morning, so I needed to get Alice away from here soon even though we had only had about three hours sleep. Our coach was scheduled for 6am and I was sure that the servants would be up at that time, if not before.

"Alice…" I broke the peaceful morning silence by whispering her name and rubbing my hands up and down her bare back.

"Mmmmm…" she responded, sounding slightly confused while looking utterly adorable with her eyes scrunched tightly shut and with a slight frown that marred her brow.

"We need to leave love…" I whispered in her ear before I began to detach her from me to slide out of the bed.

"Jasper?" she questioned as she hugged tighter to me, opened her eyes and locked them with mine. "Ohhh…" she gasped, dropping her eyes from me swiftly and blushing furiously.

"Come on, we need to leave." I told her. I didn't bother teasing her over her sudden embarrassment, we had our whole lives together where I could tease her, now was not the time.

I shocked her as I turned us so she was beneath me. I kissed her lips quickly before I slid out of the bed and began to pick up my abandoned clothes.

I looked over my shoulder after almost finishing getting dressed, expecting to see Alice still in bed wrapped in the blankets. Instead, I found her on the opposite side of the room, in front of her mirror, straightening her clothes. I pushed back a smile as I realised that she must have been eager for us to leave, women never usually got ready that quickly and so quietly.

Soon, Alice and I were ready and I held Alice's small bag which held two changes of clothes and a generous amount of money which she'd had stashed under her mattress. "You'll have to leave through the back door…I'll go out the window…" I told her, not being able to see any other way of us both making it out of here without being otherwise caught. The plan would have been different if Sophie had been about because she would have led Alice out of the house to meet me and I wouldn't have stayed the night with my angel. Even with this burden of scaling back down the trellis, I still preferred the way things went and was glad that we hadn't had Sophie around.

Within ten minutes, we were reunited at the forest beside the house. "Where are we going Jasper?" Alice questioned me as she latched her hand to mine and followed me through the trees.

"To a very good family. My sister Rosalie will help us and I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you." I told her which sparked her interest. As we continued walking to the point that we would meet our carriage, I told her about Rosalie, her husband Emmett and their pack of children and also of the rest of Emmett's family. Carlisle, Esme, Isabella and Edward.

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I know, kind of a shitty ending, (except for the sexy Jasper part…) but there you go. The story kind of took its own course from Chapter3 and I got engrossed in the whole Geoffrey thing.

**This wasn't the original plot to my story, so maybe someday I'll write up the original middle and end of the story which is COMPLETELY different to this one. It has vampires, trauma, drama, heartbreak, hardships, and a little surprise as well!! **

**If I do write it up, I'll either add it to this story as 'Alternative Middle and End' or I'll add another chapter letting you know that I'm doing the alternative middle and end as another, new story. **

**Let me know if you want more.**


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